Everyone was speculating about the finale anyway, and I wanted to separate it from my regular blog, because it seemed sure to become unwieldy and potentially spoilery. Also, people really do have pride in being able to say they figured it out ahead of time, and it seemed as if we needed a single drop point for comparison later.

Were you worried that someone might actually nail the exact plot points of the finale and by doing so, semi-spoil it?

Yes, I was. But I figured that people specifically reading a list of other people’s speculations would be prepared for that. Furthermore, I loved the idea that maybe one person would nail the entire thing, and later that person would be able to do the Rocky run up the art museum steps and pretty much gloat eternally. That would have made me laugh.

How much public speculation do you engage in about TV shows — both reading predictions and making them?

I don’t very often, mostly because I’m absolutely terrible at it. I did a little bit with “Breaking Bad,” because I’m not immune to madness that swamps the entirety of my social circle, but usually the best-case scenario is that you ruin it for yourself. Which is a strange best-case scenario.

Do you ever feel as if you want to keep any one show separate from public conversation?

The best thing about my job is I’m always at least 25 percent enjoying myself, even when I’m working, and the worst thing is that I’m always at least 25 percent working, even when I’m enjoying myself. That’s extremely hard to get away from. I can’t do it by designating a show. I do it mostly by picking shows that seem unlikely to provoke any writing on my part, like “Judge Judy” and “House Hunters,” but I’ve wound up writing about both ‘‘Judge Judy’’ and ‘‘House Hunters.’’

Bruce Grierson wrote this week’s cover story about Ellen Langer, a Harvard psychologist who has conducted experiments that involve manipulating environments to turn back subjects’ perceptions of their own age.Read more…